Unraveling Sarah Cresley by Marisa Maichel (best summer books .txt) 📕

decided to use the old Honda we used in case of one of our cars not working. It would be easier for her to get in and out of. I again made sure I was presentable and attractive. I even used a bit of cologne.

She had grown a little bit more. She kept her hands on her stomach while she eased herself into the car.

"I can't stop touching my stomach," she said. "It's like I need to see how he's doing, how he is. " I purred, pretending that it was my baby inside her. When she got settled in, I turned right and headed toward a fancy restaurant.

The host took one look at Sarah and stumbled over his words. She offered him a shy smile.

"How m-many?" he asked.

"Two," I said. He led us to a fairly decent table in the center of the room. "Drinks?" he asked, looking at Sarah.

"Just water," she said. He looked at me.

"Same here," I said, trying to sound like I didn't want to kill him and failing miserably. The waiter took off and shortly returned with two waters.

"Wine? Champagne?" he asked.

"No, thank you," I said.

"Are we ready to order?" I looked at Sarah.

"Caesar salad, please," she said. He looked at me.

"Sirloin, cooked rare. And for the side, peas."

"You know, I don't mind a chick who eats steak," he said, looking at Sarah.

"I don't think the baby would be very happy with me," she said. His mouth opened slightly. When he left, her face turned sour. "God, what a jerk."

"Ain't that the truth," I mumbled quietly. "But he has no choice. I control his tip." Sarah looked at me for a moment, then laughed.

"When I was a waitress, people used to think that all the time. But my boss had a rule that tips had to be added onto the total. Not all restaurants do that, but ours did. I thought it was a shitty thing to do, but necessary sometimes because of people who didn't tip well. The most I got on a tip was maybe twenty dollars."

"You're only sixteen," I said.

"True. But I had a debt to pay, and now I have a baby. Plus, my car's about done for."

"Would you like me to buy you a new one?" I asked.

"No, Reese, you've spent too much on me already." She looked around. "What are they saying?" I looked around. Some women were looking at us and talking.

"She's too young to have a baby," one of them said.

"He should be ashamed of himself," said another.

"They're talking about us being teenage parents," I told Sarah. She laughed again, a musical laugh that was like rapture to my ears. I was tempted to kiss her, but I resisted. She looked around contentedly.

"What're they doing here?" she suddenly asked. I looked up. It was Nales' parents.

"Ignore them," I said.

"Oh look, it's the dead boy's parents," said one of the middle-aged women.

"You can't possibly feel sorry for them. Their son raped a girl!" Sarah looked down and hid her head. Luckily, they were seated far away from us. The waiter came back, carrying trays of food. He set a salad in front of me, and the steak in front of Sarah. I switched plates with her. I growled at the waiter's back. It took everything in me not to run over there and rip him apart.

Sarah played with her salad. I cut up my steak, which had been cooked medium-well, and offered her a few pieces. She took them, tears running down her face. She set the cloth napkin in her lap. I noticed how the blue dress she wore accentuated her curves.

"There's that slut," someone said. I looked up. Nales' parents had noticed us.

"Sweetheart, he hurt her," Nales' father said.

"Brian, she got him in trouble!"

"She had every right to be upset! God, why are you such a witch?"

"You know she's going to abort the baby!"

"If she does, it's her decision. Mike's dead."

"I know he's fucking dead! It's because of her that he's dead!" Nales' mother stood up and walked over to us.

"Sarah," she said.

"Claire," Sarah said.

"What did you do with the baby?"

"He's still with me," Sarah said.

"I'll give you seventy thousand dollars upfront if you let us keep the baby."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"First of all, no fucking way. I couldn't give him to the parents of the boy who assaulted his mother. Secondly, I already promised him to somebody else. Get away from me before I call my bodyguards."

"You little-"

"Claire! Enough!" Brian, Mike's father, came over and put his hands on his wife's shoulders. "She's made her decision. Leave her alone. Let's just enjoy a nice dinner for once." With that, he led Claire away, with her shooting venomous looks at us.

"Sarah, that was amazing," I said.

"She's such a bitch, and I've wanted to tell her off for so long. She still blames me for what happened to Mike."

"I know. I heard their conversation." Sarah's eyes widened, and I knew immediately that I had said too much. Then something she said hit me. "What did you mean by 'bodyguards'?" She smiled.

"I mean you and Alexander, of course. Really though, I have so many people protecting me that I feel like a princess sometimes."

"You are a princess," I said. At least, you will be soon. She was becoming stronger. I could see that by the way she stood up for herself and the baby. We finished our meal, I paid, offering a very small tip, and she checked the receipt for any "mistakes".

"I think he added the tip," she said.

"Oh, well, I already paid him. Let's go, baby girl."

As I drove her home, we were silent. I was proud of her. She leaned forward to kiss me on the cheek. I turned and captured her mouth with my own.

"I love you," I said as soon as I released her.

"I love you, too," she said. She eased herself out of the car, grabbed her purse, and went inside. I stayed for a minute, listening to her go to her room. She turned on the light, redressed in pajamas, and picked up a book. Satisfied, I started to back out of her driveway, until I saw something. Alexander was climbing the ivy up to her window. He knocked. She opened the window, and let him in. I opened the door of the Honda and stepped out. I shut the door. I climbed the ivy as well and listened to their conversation.

"What did you eat?" Alexander asked.

"I had a salad. Chill."

"What did Reese eat?"

"He ate a steak and peas."

"Interesting. May I?"

"Yes."

I looked into the room. He had his hand on her belly. I could hear him purring from where I was. He put an ear against her.

"He's getting stronger," he said. He grabbed Sarah's shoulders and threw her onto the bed. He laid on top of her, missionary style. Missionary? Oh, hell no. I knocked on the window. They looked up, shocked. "It's Reese!"

I opened the window and climbed in.

"What the hell are you doing to my girlfriend?" I snapped at Alexander. He grinned at me.

"She enjoys it when I do this. Don't you, sweetheart?"

"Not really," she said. I saw red. I grabbed Alexander around the throat and pinned him against the wall.

"Stay away," I growled.

"I can't stay away from your love without staying away from my child. Give it eight more months, and I'll leave her alone forever if you wish. At least let me greet him occasionally!" I was sorely tempted to rip him apart, but I kept my temper under control.

Rival. Kill rival. Rip him apart.

Reese?

Father?

Where are you?

I'm at Sarah's. I caught Alexander being indecent with her.

Come home right now!

Growling, I let Alexander go. I looked at Sarah. She looked terrified.

"I'm sorry," I said, before leaping out.

~~~~~~~~~~

"When you see Alexander, do not engage him. You come right home!" It was the next day, and I was getting a lecture from my father. "Are you still listening to me?"

"Nope," I answered truthfully. Father pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"You are incorrigible, you know that? What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me," I answered sarcastically.

"I do love you, more than anything. Why don't you ever listen to my commands and advice?" He rubbed his abdomen. "I am hungry. I stayed up all night, not eating, just waiting for you to get home safely."

"I'm sorry, Father."

"You are such a fibber. Come here." He hugged me tightly. "I can't imagine life without you. Do not scare me like that again."

"I wanted to kill him," I said.

"How do you think I feel whenever he gets too close to you? I want to tear his guts out, cousin or not."

"How old is he, anyway?"

"He's about two hundred and fifty thousand years old." I gaped. One hundred and fifty thousand...."He's one of the first humans. He was part of the most advanced civilization at the time. He angered a superior being, who punished him by turning him into a vampire."

"And he's still alive?!"

"More or less."

"So, which race is older? Humans or vampires?"

"Vampires, baby. Believe it or not, there were different kinds of vampires many years ago, who, unfortunately, or fortunately for some, died out. Very few races still exist. Djinni, sanguine vampires, which is what we are, some of which are psychic like me. Then there are telepathic vampires, who absorb energy from other beings, reverse vampires, who survive solely on plant matter, human vampires, and natural-borns. You and I are sanguinary natural-borns. Your grandfather is a human vampire. He started life as a human, then was bitten by Alexander and turned into a sanguine. I am also psychic, which helps me keep track of you."

I closed my eyes and leaned back. Father laid next to me.

"Tired, little one?"

"Very. I got little sleep last night."

"What do you think I went through?"

"I said sorry!"

"You didn't mean it." Angry now, I sat up and went up to my bedroom. I slammed the door and locked it. That made Father nervous. I could feel his anxiety from our mental connection.

Must see child. See if he's okay. Seconds later, he pounded on my door, knocking it off the hinges.

"What the hell!" I snapped. Father zipped over to me and held me. He kissed me softly and rocked me.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," he said. "I'll fix your door. You scared me, Reese. Why are you so angry?"

"Leave me alone," I growled.

"That is not an option. Tell Daddy why it hurts." I growled at him. He looked confused and hurt. "Come on, baby. Forgive me. Tell me what's wrong!"

"Leave me alone!" I got out of his grasp.

"REESE EMERSON, STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Shocked, I stopped moving. "I am not going to let you do this to yourself! Let me help you. I accept your apology, now accept mine."

"I accept it, Father," I said, voice wobbling. He whimpered.

"I didn't mean to scare you, little one. I'm sorry. Come here." I scooted back and hissed at him. I leapt onto the floor, landing painfully on my funny bone. There was nothing funny about it. I cursed and stood up, clutching my elbow.

Father looked at me sadly. I glared at him and then hid in my closet. I took off my clothes. I opened the door slightly.

"Father," I said, embarassed, "Can you hand me my swimming trunks?" He gave them to me and I pulled them on, noting that they were a bit tight around the waist.

I went over to the pool and dove in. I swam to the very bottom and sat there, contemplating my life. I decided that I'd get a tattoo on my arm of my name and Sarah's, to show her how much I cared. My heart ached with need. I needed her. I wanted her. I was hopelessly in love with her. I stayed under the water for about an hour before I came up. I sat on the edge of the pool.

"Reese." I turned around and looked at my uncle. "Ari called you several times. She sounds really